Electric-light switch.



No. 744,911. PATENTED NOV. 24, 1903.

E. L. ETHERIDGE.

ELECTRIC LIGHT SWITCH.

APPLIGATION FILED 001 .9, 1902. no MODEL.

WITNESSES l/VVE/VTOI? I By ffiiSZAfl/efidye ATTORNEYS Patented November 24, 1903.

PATENT Orricn.

ERNEST L. ETHERIDGE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC LIG HT SWlTCl-i.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 744,911, dated November 24, 1903. Application filed October 9 1902. Serial No. 126,423. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it 772/6LZ/ concern:

Beit known that I, Ennnsr L. ETHERIDGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric-Light Switches, of which the following is a full and complete specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of this invention is to provide steam-tight or water-tight electric lights of the class usually employed on shipboard, in steam-rooms, and similar places with an individual switch whereby a single light of a series may be placed in operation wherever and whenever desired without the necessity of operating all the lights of said series; and with this .and other objects in view the invention consists in a light of the class described constructed as hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which- Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of an electric incandescent light made according to my invention; and Fig. 2, a plan view of the incandescent bulb removed, together with the globe which incloses the same.

In the practice of my invention I provide a base-plate a, having a flange or rim o which is screw-threaded internally and adapted to receive the usual globe b, which is screwed thereinto in the usual manner, and the plate a is provided with a central opening a with which is connected a conduit-tube a through which the wires or conductors c and c are passed, and the tube a may be secured to any suitable support in the usual manner.

To the plate a is secured a block (1, 001m posed of porcelain or other suitable non-conducting material, and this block is open at the bottom, as shown at (Z and at one side, as shown at d and the wire 0 is carried out through the opening at d and connected with a binding post or screw 6, secured to the top of said block. The binding post or screw 0 also helps to secure to the top of the block (Z a transverse plate f, which is provided with an upwardly-directed arm f having an inwardlydirected member f and secured to the inner side of the arm f is a U-shaped spring g, one side of which is free and extends upwardly, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

Secured to the top of the block d, centrally thereof, is a socket member h, which is screwthreaded and adapted to receive the head 7&2 of the bulb its, and secured in the bottom of the socket member h is a yoke-shaped piece 1', having an arm i which passes out through one side of said socket member and is provided with an upwardlydirected extension i as shown in Fig. 1, and the yoke-shaped. member c is secured to the bottom of the socket member h by pins or screws 2', which also serve to hold said socket member in connection with the block (Z.

Secured to the top of the block (Z, opposite the plate f, is another plate 713, having an arm which passes into the bottom of the socket member 7b and the inner end of which at 7& serves as the central contact for the lamp or light, and the plate 7L is connected with the block b by binding post or screw m, with which the wire or conductor 6 is connected.

The extension 2' of the arm i of the yokeshaped member 1' and the upwardly-directed free arm or side of the spring g serve as contact members, and passing upwardly through the arm of the plate a is a switch-rod n, the upper end of which passes through the inwardly-directed extension f of the arm f and said switch-rod is provided near its upper end with a switch block M, which is adapted to make contact with the spring g and the upwardly-directed part i of the yokeshaped plate 2'. The rod '12 passes through a stuffing-box 0, from which it is insulated, as shown at 0 and said rod is provided at its lower end with a handle 0 by which it may be operated. It will be understood, of course, that when the'bulb 7&3 or the head 7L2 thereof is screwed into the socket h one of the contact-pieces withwhich said head is provided makes contact with the arm k and the other with the socket 7t, and the circuit may be completed or broken at any time by simply turning the rod 11.

This device is simple in construction and operation and comparatively inexpensive,

ICO

and the same may be used whenever incandescent lights of this class are required. It is also customary to provide lights of this class with an open-work metal casing which incloses the globe b and which in practice is connected'with the flange or rim a of the plate a; but this feature forms no part of this invention and is therefore not shown or described.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

An electric light of the class described, comprising a base-plate having a central opening, an insulating-block secured to the top of said plate and having in the bottom thereof a chamber which opens. at one side, said block being also provided with an electriclight socket, an electric-light bulb adapted to be screwed into said socket, a contact device secured to said block and passing into the bottom of said socket, another contact device which passes into the bottom of said socket and is provided with an upWardly-di rected member outside of said socket, another contact device connected with said block adjacent to said member, Wires passing through the base plate and connected with the first and last named contact devices, and a rod passing through said base-plate and through a portion of said block and provided with a switch adapted to operate in connection with the last-named contact device and with the upwardly directed member of the second-named contact device, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention lhave signed my name, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 7th day of October, 1902.

. ERNEST L. ETHERIDGE.

Witnesses: 1

F. A. STEWART, C. E. MULREANY. 

